Space Suits In Joint Replacement Surgery
During joint replacement surgery, bones ends are cut using a power saw and cement is used to fix large metallic implants to the bone. All these increase the chance of infection even from minor contamination. To reduce the contamination from the operating team, " Body Exhaust System" or " Space Suit" is worn by the operating team. The normal surgical attire still consists of a cotton gown, which loses sterility within seconds after wearing, once it gets wet with sweat. The routine cap and mask do not prevent sweat or saliva droplets from operating the team from entering the wound. The " Space Suit" system consists of a helmet with a battery-operated fan, a gown made up of a special fabric that does not wet with water or blood, thus maintains the sterility throughout the long surgical procedure. The visor helps in preventing sweat and saliva droplets from contaminating the wound. Although such space suits are an additional cost in joint replacement surgery, at the Race Knee Clinic we prefer such space suits to reduce the possibility of infection to the minimum.